Cellulose fiber is known as typical fiber having hygroscopicity, and advanced hygroscopicity thereof is demanded to improve comfort in recent years. A fabric including cellulose fibers and polyester fibers suffers from unsatisfactory hygroscopicity as compared with the fabric including cellulose fibers. Therefore, improved hygroscopicity of the fabric composed of mixed-spun yarns of cotton/polyester is demanded to improve comfort.
To improve the hygroscopicity, it might be considered feasible to employ a modifying process in which hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the fabric. The foregoing technique however encounters handling touch of the fabric being stiff because of compounds prepared due to the graft polymerization and left among fibers in a large quantity.
On the other hand, a process for causing a fabric composed of cellulose fibers or a fabric including cellulose fibers to have shape memory has been a resin process using fiber reactant type resin or formaldehyde vapor.
However, to realize satisfactory shape memory, resin needs be supplied in a large quantity. In the foregoing case, there arises a problem in that the handling touch of the fabric becomes stiff. To overcome the foregoing problem, a variety of softening agents has been usually employed. The obtained softening effect however has unsatisfactory.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-189135 (1995), a method has been suggested in which a sewed product is subjected to a process for causing the product to have shape memory by using formaldehyde vapor and cellulase is used to process the product. The foregoing method however encounters a difficulty in uniformly enzyme-treating the sewed product, thus resulting in the quality of the sewed product being deteriorated excessively and the strength of the fabric being locally and critically weakened. Moreover, special apparatuses need be provided to perform the process for causing the sewed product to have shape memory and the enzyme process. Therefore, the foregoing method cannot easily be employed.